


Date Night at the Opera

by TheOvertron



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Ballet, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Mute Cassandra Cain, Theatre
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:22:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24812989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOvertron/pseuds/TheOvertron
Summary: Cassandra invites Harper to the theatre and experiences new, unexpected emotions.
Relationships: Cassandra Cain/Harper Row
Kudos: 13





	1. Opening Act

**Author's Note:**

> I tried writing the story from Cass' perspective and as a result I made a conscious decision to not have any dialogue written down, instead relying on body language and observations to get communication across.

Cass was fidgeting impatiently in the back seat of the car. It was already half past 7 and Harper still wasn't out yet. Cass would have preferred to be at the theatre by now, despite the show not starting for another half an hour. 

When she heard about the Wayne invitation to the newly opened Gotham Opera Hall she had pleaded with Bruce to let her come with him, they had received two tickets after all. However, Batman's attention was required elsewhere, just like every night, so she had gotten permission to take the night off and invited Harper instead. Tim and Steph were both out providing backup to Batman so she didn't feel too bad about having a night off with Harper.

Cass gave yet another glance to the clock on the dashboard, 7:35 now, before turning her attention to the vacant driver seat. Alfred had driven her from the manor and they had driven to Harper's apartment to pick her up. He had stepped out a while ago and entered Harper's apartment after she messaged about having trouble with her outfit.

Cass started to wonder what Harper might be wearing for tonight. She was usually in jeans and T-shirts with those printed phrases on. Cass couldn't quite imagine Harper in a dress, though as they were off to the Opera, Cass really hoped that Harper would at least dress appropriately. She tried picturing Harper in a dress and smirked with amusement at the mental image. Harper was way too punk like to suit a dress.

As for Cass herself, she was in a simple black sleeveless dress which went down to her knees. She wasn't one for fashion but Alfred had bought her a variety of dresses. She had chosen her outfit the only way she knew how; practicality in moving and fighting. Having her arms and legs free to move was more important to her than a long dress and high heels that comprised her movement. Though she had to admit she had spent a good few minutes in front of her mirror admiring the dress. 

Cass jumped out of her daydreaming at the sudden sound of the car door opening and she snapped her head towards the open door. Alfred had opened it and was standing to one side of the door with Harper gazing into the car. Upon seeing Harper, Cass' anxiety was replaced with relief and she welcomed Harper with a big grin, showing off her teeth. 

She watched as Harper returned the smile, taking note of all the subtle movements in her expression. Upon seeing Cass, Harper's eye's had widened and had taken a quick look down and up. Her cheeks had flushed ever so slightly and she mouthed the letters 'W' and 'O', clearly in response to Cass' dress. This was one of the things Cass enjoyed about Harper's company, she loved how expressive she was.

Cass then observed Harper's outfit. As Cass had expected, Harper wasn't wearing a dress. Instead she was wearing a white shirt with black trousers, jacket and bowtie. The bowtie had been done up incredibly neatly and Cass assumed this was what had delayed Harper as it was clear that this was Alfred's handy work. The black and white suit clashed with Harper's blue and purple hair but then again, so did most outfits. Cass admitted to herself that despite this, the outfit definitely suited Harper more than a dress would have.

Alfred cleared his throat in order to get attention. Upon this, Cass realised she had been obstructing Harper from getting into the car. Her cheeks flushed with colour and she shyly shifted herself to the other seat. Harper let out a chuckle, probably as a response from Cass' embarrassment and sat herself down next to Cass. Alfred made his way to the driver seat and they set off towards the theatre.

During the drive Harper chatted away to Cass. Cass was still in the process of learning to speak so didn't understand every word that Harper was saying but she didn't need to. Just watching Harper's face and expressions was enough to understand what she was saying. It was another thing she enjoyed about Harper, she never held back or watched her speech around Cass. It made Harper feel more real and natural than everyone else. Cass knew that other people did it for the right intentions but it actually made them more difficult to understand as they were putting a false mask over their true feelings. But with Harper, she wore her feelings and intentions openly with pride.

Harper mentioned Dr Thomkins, and wore a sad but somewhat hopeful look on her face. Cass understood she was talking about her work at the clinic with Leslie, it must have been difficult lately. Cass was super proud that Harper still did her best to help the people of Gotham despite no longer being a vigilante. She had retired due to not wanting to worry her brother but was still determined to do what she could. Harper also mentioned Cullen and got really excited and giddy over him. Cass didn't quite pick up on all the details but grinned and gave a soft chuckle at Harper's giddiness, something good must have happened. At this chuckle, Harper paused and stared back into Cass' eyes with a shy smile. Cass waited eagerly for Harper to continue talking but became confused when Harper didn't continue. 

The two of them sat in silence as Cass continued to observe Harper in confusion, was it something she had done? Harper had suddenly become difficult to read and was looking at Cass with an expression that Cass had never seen before. She focused on Harper's face even more, trying to understand what was happening. She shifted closer, as if that would somehow improve her observation. 

Upon shifting closer, Cass noticed Harper's smile disappear with a sharp intake of breath and her mouth becoming slightly parted, quivering ever so slightly. Harper continued to part her lips between breaths, occasionally swallowing. Cass also observed that Harper's eye's were looking directly into hers, glancing down every now and then. Harper was giving Cass a gaze that made her feel somewhat nervous and vulnerable, as if her eyes could see straight into Cass. Confused by this new feeling Cass reluctantly broke away from Harper's gaze before it became too mesmerising. Cass turned her attention to the city streets outside and watched as the lights of the city whizzed past her, trying to figure out what this new feeling meant.

Cass heard Harper whisper a disheartened apology from behind her and felt a pain in her chest at the tone of the apology. Cass didn't even fully understand why Harper was apologising but didn't like how it had clearly upset Harper. She softly wrapped her arm around Harper's and butted her head against Harper's shoulder. Since Cass wasn't good with words she would often show appreciation through affection like this instead. It must have worked because as Cass looked up at Harper from her perched head she saw a silly grin spread across Harper's face.

The two of them stayed in this position with Harper rambling on about one thing or another for the remainder of the journey. It didn't matter what Harper was talking about, Cass just enjoyed listening to the sound of her voice. It was relatively deep and she always put so much passion into every word she'd say. Cass found it very soothing to listen to.


	2. Intermission

Alfred pulled up outside the theatre entrance and Cass reluctantly relinquished her embrace with Harper. Luckily, since Cass was wearing a sleeveless dress, her outfit hadn't gotten creased. Harper's sleeve however, had become creased beyond repair and her bowtie had become crooked.

Harper, upon noticing the state of her outfit, shrugged it off and decided to roll up both her sleeves. Cass rolled her eyes and gave Harper a disapproving look before reaching for Harper's bowtie to try to at least straighten it. She leaned forward to get a good view, grabbed each end of the bow and started to adjust it. Upon becoming satisfied with her quick fix she gave a slight nod of approval before noticing Harper's red cheeks in her peripheral vision. Cass tilted her head upwards to look at Harper. Harper responded with a nervous looking smug grin. For some strange reason Cass suddenly felt embarrassed by this and withdrew herself away from the bow.

The car door on Harper's side was opened up by Alfred, who once again stood to the side of the door. Looking past Harper, Cass saw a fancy red carpet leading up to the theatre entrance. She saw lots of people standing either side of the carpet holding cameras and microphones.

Upon seeing all the members of the press, Cass let out an audible gulp and looked towards Harper with a slight panicked expression. Sure, she had known what was going to be waiting for her but now that it was happening she suddenly didn't feel ready. Cass watched as Harper also glanced at the crowd outside and returned a similar worried expression to Cass. However, her expression quickly changed into a warm smile before settling on a determined, confident look. Cass nodded towards Harper, trying to emulate the same look, if only to try and borrow some of Harper's confidence.

Harper turned around and started climbing out of the car. Cass instinctively reached forward, grabbing hold of the hem of Harper's jacket, causing Harper to pause. Harper turned around again to face Cass but continued to exit the vehicle. This pivot meant Cass had to release the jacket to avoid falling forwards. Harper, having successfully gotten out of the car, leaned back in, reaching her hand out towards Cass. It was a sign of encouragement and Cass gladly accepted the hand of her friend.

With Harper's help, Cass climbed out of the vehicle and onto the red carpet. Alfred addressed them both with a pleasant expression and gave a slight bow in Cass' direction before returning to the car. This confused Cass slightly as he had never bowed to her before and it felt unnatural. Sure Alfred was technically a butler, but during her time living at the manor, she had always seen and treated him with great reverence. She had been amazed at how much he was capable of and tried to learn from him as often as she could.

Cass then turned towards the theatre along with Harper and it was at this point that the press and paparazzi descended upon them. Cass found herself terrified by this new experience, she wouldn't hesitate to run into a burning building or face down multiple shooters but somehow it was facing off against cameras and people shouting her name that made her stall. 

She had been preparing for this moment for a month now. It was her first official public appearance as Cassandra Wayne, Bruce Wayne's legally adopted daughter. She had been overjoyed when Bruce had revealed the adoption papers as a birthday present, she finally felt like she had a place and family to call home. But being the daughter of the most famous man in Gotham City suddenly meant that she was also famous now, and this experience was incredibly jarring for her. 

Cass realised she was still holding Harper's hand and squeezed it tighter. She could feel the warmth of Harper's hand and it helped her to relax a little. Harper looked down at Cass and showed a big smile before over-exaggeratingly waving boastfully at the crowd. Cass giggled at this sudden display and no longer felt nervous. Embarrassed by Harper? Sure, but not nervous. She started walking towards the theatre, smiling at the crowd and timidly waving, just wanting this over with quickly. Harper seemed to be enjoying this far too much and Cass ended up dragging her by the hand.

The two of them eventually made it into the theatre and were shown to their seats without even needing to show their tickets. Cass truly hadn't anticipated how famous becoming a Wayne would make her and didn't think she'd ever get used to this attention.


	3. Matinée

Their seats were located in a box on the left side of the theatre. They had the booth to themselves and from their seats they had a view of the entire auditorium, both the main stage and the seating area. Cass leant against the balcony, marvelling at the sight. The auditorium had a red and gold colour theme, with the seats being a red fabric with a gold wooden trim. The walls were all different shades of gold with the occasional embossed pattern in red. 

The auditorium itself was huge and it looked like the opening night was fully sold out. Seeing how busy it already was made Cass wish they had arrived earlier. It would have been amazing to see this place empty. Cass entertained the idea of sneaking back in after it had closed. She and Harper could have the entire place to themselves.

Cass turned to look at Harper, wanting to express her excitement with a huge beam across her face. Cass caught Harper's surprised eyes darting up to meet her's. Harper had been looking at something but Cass couldn't tell what. Harper then returned the smile and joined Cass at the balcony. Harper began talking whilst pointing at the stage and had a nostalgic look in her eyes. 

Cass wondered if she was talking about the first time they went to a theatre together? It had been shortly after they had first met, they had gone running across the world, trying to put a stop to an international organisation who created designer humans, of which Cass had been one of. They had found themselves undercover at a ballet in Prague. It was there where Cass had first discovered her love for ballet and theatre. Sure, most of the performers ended up being assassin's who tried to kill them, but she would never forget the moment she saw other people express emotions and feelings through movements instead of words. The beauty and grace of their movements had captivated her and she had longed to experience it again.

Silence fell across the room, spot lights lit up the stage and the curtains slowly drew open. Cass hurried to her seat, half dragging Harper with her. Cass didn't know what the show was going to be about, only that it was a ballet. She watched as the main heroine danced slowly across the stage, marvelling at the choreography but felt a pit in her stomach from the slow and somber music. There were other dancers around her but their moves were very different to the girl's. This gave Cass a sense of loneliness as she sympathised with the girl. 

Cass knew what it felt like to be alone. Even growing up, before she escaped the clutches of her father, she had only ever been treated as a weapon. It had made for an incredibly lonely and difficult childhood. She was incredibly thankful to Bruce, Harper and everyone else for letting her into their lives.

As the show went on, Cass spotted a girl amongst the background dancers whose dance was slowly changing as she made her way out of the crowd. It started to resemble the lonely girl's dance, but a couple of moves behind. The music had also changed, no longer being slow and somber like before. Cass was impressed by both dancers being in time with the music despite being at different stages of the dance. 

Cass watched, mesmerised, as the lonely girl's dancing started becoming more confident and the other girl's dancing started catching up, becoming one move closer with every change of the music's speed. Cass' heart started beating faster, matching the rhythm of the music. She focused on each of the dancers' movements, longing for them to match up with each other. She was starting to feel more nervous the closer the two of them matched up, she hadn't blinked for about a minute now and was gripping both of her armrests. Then, suddenly, with a simultaneous pivot on their toes and flick of the wrists, the two girls became perfectly in sync. 

At that moment, the lights started displaying a multitude of colours and the music became loud and joyous. The two girls were now dancing hand in hand in perfect sync with the spotlights twirling around the both of them. Cass relaxed back against her chair and let out a huge sigh of relief after getting herself so worked up in the dancers' story. 

It was at this point that she realised she had been gripping something tightly in her right hand. She glanced over and saw Harper's arm trapped within her grasp. Cass let out a quiet gasp and released her grip, watching the colour quickly return to Harper's arm. She raised her head looking up at Harper apologetically. Harper smiled gently whilst shaking her head. She mouthed that she was okay and placed her arm back on the armrest, offering her hand to Cass. 

Cass hesitated for a moment before extending her hand towards Harper's, accepting the open hand. The hand closed around hers' and Cass found herself smiling from this gesture. She enjoyed it when Harper displayed moments of affection like this as it made her feel wanted. 

Cass turned her attention back to the stage and continued to watch the dance. The music began to come to an end as both girls came to a stop facing each other, hands in hands. Cass noticed the music had not quite finished yet and watched carefully to see the end of the routine. She saw the two girls looking longingly at each other before they closed the distance between themselves with a kiss. The music came to a dramatic halt at that very same second and the curtains dropped down, followed by applause erupting from the audience.


	4. Curtain Call

Cass' mind was racing! She couldn't get the final image of the two girls out of her head. The look that they had given each other before the kiss, she had seen that look before. Back in the car, on their way here, Harper had given Cass the very same look! What did that mean? Had Harper wanted to kiss her? Cass didn't have much experience of relationships of any kind but knew that a kiss was a big deal. What were the implications of Harper wanting to kiss her? Cass was suddenly feeling overwhelmed and confused. She had never even considered having romance in her life, but then again she never expected to have loving friends and family either.

Harper broke away from the handhold to join in the clapping which took Cass by surprise. Cass attempted to join in the clapping but despite having enjoyed the show, she was far too distracted to put proper effort into it. She also felt slightly disheartened at Harper having let go of her hand but wasn't sure why. 

Cass looked over at Harper, she was standing up clapping and whistling. Cass almost felt like she was seeing Harper for the first time. Her blue and purple hair gave a feeling of defiance but also one of attention, it went well with her cocky confidence. Her numerous piercings on her nose and ears would have made her look intimidating if her face and smile didn't give away a kind and caring nature. It was this aspect of Harper that made her so easy to hang out with despite the speech barrier. She always put everyone else's needs before hers and portrayed this through actions rather than words.

Harper wasn't one to normally brush up and wear fancy clothes but as Cass looked at her, she couldn't help but admire how handsome Harper looked in a suit and bowtie. At this thought, Cass' cheeks suddenly flushed bright red and she looked down to the floor, hiding her cheeks with her hands. What was that thought just now? What was this feeling? She had never looked at Harper or anyone for that matter this way before, but suddenly she found herself unable to think about anything other than Harper.

Cass kept thinking back to the look Harper had given her in the car. Was this how she was looking at Harper now? Did this mean she was wanting to kiss Harper? She had never kissed anyone before so didn't really know how it felt to want to kiss someone. All she knew was that she had a weird sensation in her stomach, it was a similar feeling to when she jumped from a building using a grappling hook for the first time. That first step, the initial panic, the sensation of falling, the rush of the wind against her face, the sudden burst of adrenaline, all accumulating at the moment the grappling hook became taut and Cass found herself swinging through the air with a feeling of liberation. But that sensation didn't make sense here? This situation was nothing like that?

She then heard her name being spoken in a soft concerned voice and looked up slowly at Harper. Worry was written all over her face and she must have seen Cass' flushed face because as she spoke she fanned her hand against her own face and gestured towards the exit, probably suggesting they get some fresh air. Cass nodded meekly and followed Harper out of the room, perhaps the open air would help as she was feeling claustrophobic inside her own mind.

Cass was following behind Harper as they made their way along the corridors. She was looking down at the floor, following Harper's feet. Cass could hear muffled sounds coming from the other side of the walls, the second half of the show must have already started, but Cass was surprisingly no longer bothered about missing the show. 

There was a strange silence filling the hallway. The silence was emanating from Harper, Cass was so used to Harper's constant chattering that it felt unnatural for her to be so quiet. Cass yearned to say something, anything to fill the void between them but no words came, even if she could talk, she didn't know what to say in this situation. This was a predicament that she had never found herself in before.

As they approached the entrance, Cass stopped at the sight of the crowd still outside. Walking through them earlier had been bad enough but there was no way she was mentally prepared to go through that again. Harper turned to look at Cass, she seemed to notice what Cass was thinking as she grabbed Cass by the hand and ran down a side corridor, away from the entrance. Cass' hands felt sweaty as she was being led away by Harper and she hoped that Harper wouldn't notice. 

They came across an alarmed fire exit. Harper let go of Cass' hand and put her hand into her bag. She revealed an object that from Cass' perspective, looked like some kind of Jury-rigged electronic device, held together by cables and duct tape. Anyone who didn't know Harper would be confused but Cass knew that having home made electrical items was a common occurrence with Harper. She put it against the door's sensor and a second later the door silently swung open at Harper's gentle nudge.

The door exited to the side of the theatre and faced Gotham River. Cass approached the river side, resting her arms on the railing. She took in a deep breath, taking in the (admittedly probably not fresh) air and the (equally not fresh) smell of the water. She repeated this a few times to try and clear her thoughts. She had felt so trapped before but now she felt like she had the space to think.

Harper had always been a great friend, she was easy to be around and could make Cass laugh. Cass loved how expressive Harper was and cherished being able to just hang out and do mundane things with her. Cass struggled with making friends and cared deeply for each of them, but it was always different with Harper. She had always put Harper above the others and it was probably safe to assume that she thought of Harper as her best friend. But Cass now realised that Harper may think of her as something more than a friend and this actually pleased Cass greatly. Knowing that there was someone out there who genuinely loved and wanted her gave her immense joy and made her feel giddy.

Harper joined Cass at the railing and looked out at the view. Cass followed her eyesight, gazing out over the river, neon lights reflecting off the surface. It was a beautiful sight and Cass smiled at the thought of including Harper within the view.

Cass closed her eyes and took another deep breath before slowly exhaling it. She might not be able to put her thoughts into words but she could definitely put them into actions. She opened her eyes again and looked deep into Harper's eyes with a smile. She then took a step back and attempted to dance. She tried to replicate what she had watched earlier, with the twists, the turns and the leaps. It wasn't the most faithful or graceful recreation and Harper watched dumbfoundedly. This made Cass feel slightly embarrassed to be dancing out in the open but she decided to persevere regardless. Cass reached out to Harper, inviting her to join. When she hesitated, Cass grabbed Harper's hand and pulled her into the dance. This caused the dance to become even clumsier and the two girls started laughing at the absurdity of it as they began tripping over each other whilst they span. Cass could feel herself starting to lose balance and brought the dance to a stop holding onto both of Harper's hands as they leant towards each other for mutual support.

The two of them stood there exhausted, dizzy and continuing to laugh between pants of breath. Cass continued to keep hold of Harper's hands even after they had both calmed down. She looked up into Harper's eyes and noticed Harper's cheeks beginning to flush. Cass smiled at this which made Harper's cheeks even redder. Cass couldn't help but enjoy how cute Harper looked when flustered. 

Recognising the look on Harper's face, Cass glanced down to her lips, they were parted again and she could feel her own lips beginning to waver. She looked up at Harper's eyes once more for affirmation and received a look of yearning in return, causing Cass to be hit with a sudden sense of urgency and she could no longer hold back. She leant forward whilst closing her eyes and parting her lips, the last thing she saw was Harper doing the same.


End file.
